Darren’s career in the gaming operations and technology industry spans 20 years. He brings his observations and experience to Testbed Vegas’ Vegas Travel & Hospitality Tech event on October 29th at Desert Wind Coffee Roasters.
Originally hailing from Los Angeles, Darren moved to Las Vegas in pursuit of a career in the casino and gaming industry. He is currently the Manager of Pre Sales Engineering for gaming technology giant, IGT, where he oversees the America’s operations.
Before moving to the casino and gaming sector, Darren began his career with the United States Army. His specialty while in the services was Combat Engineering where he worked in construction and demolition. He saw active service in 1991 in Operation Desert Storm. Upon completing service with the Army he then commenced studies in Pre-Medicine in California before determining that his interests lie elsewhere, subsequently relocating to Las Vegas to join the gaming industry.
Settling in Las Vegas he joined Station Casinos as Casino Supervisor overseeing Table gaming operations before taking the opportunity to join the pre-opening team at Wynn Las Vegas in Casino operations, again in the capacity of Casino Supervisor for Table games. It was through this experience that Darren noted the impact and gradual increase of the role of technology in gaming, fueling his interest in the next stage of his career.
Darren then brought his gaming operations experience to industry technology company, IGT where he took his first of many roles where he continues to work today.
Moving from Casino operations he joined IGT as Technical Trainer imparting the use of IGT products to their customer base, then migrating into the System Engineering team where they provisioned the technology environments for IGT customers gaming systems. He then moved to Ditronics Financial Services in the capacity of Technology Operations Manager overseeing projects and deployment for the company and bolstering his industry knowledge in the financial aspect of gaming.
The opportunity to return to IGT presented itself as Solution Architect designing technology solutions for the company global client base, and then to his current role.
He cites some of his memorable accomplishments as working in Vietnam with MGM establishing a casino in a Communist country in a complex technical deployment with highly connected systems, as well as meeting his life partner.
Darren resides in Las Vegas with his wife and daughter and when he has the chance, plays Poker and holidays with the family in far flung locations. His tertiary qualifications include a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology and his pre-medicine studies in Bio-medicine and Biology.
Darren’s rich background in both operations and technology in Las Vegas and around the world provides a platform for broad views on the future of the gaming experience and where technology will play an increasing role. Testbed Vegas is looking forward to his observations and views at the event.
Join us at Desert Wind Coffee Roasters to learn about the future gaming experience.
COMMUNITY | DIALOGUE | EDUCATION | EXHIBITION
Desert Wind Coffee Roasters
7772 W Sahara Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89117
October 29th 2019 6.30pm-8.30pm
Brought to you by
Desert Wind Coffee Roasters – Desert Wind Coffee was created with true passion and a mission to provide our customers with the very best coffee possible, and freshness is the key to that mission.
Martin S Fuentes – Fine Art Documentarian – Bringing 20 years of global photo-journalism experience, Martin aspires to capture the genuine beauty that surrounds everyday life using visual scenery and unpredictable light to show perspective.
TRAVHOTECH – Knowledge | Experience | Execution | Realization – Utilizing 30 years of global current and practical experience TRAVHOTECH is the next generation travel & hospitality technology consultancy with a focus on mentoring and advising technology vendors, leaders and the industry operator community.
FareStar Travel Club – The club with discounts normally reserved for travel industry insiders – exclusive travel pricing and premier lifestyle deals. FareStar Travel Club will reimburse 110% of the difference if you find a cheaper deal* .